3. Physical Detox
Start with an Icebreaker Question To start off your small group, briefly share your response to the following question: What is your favorite food and why? Share with your group. Please Read What To Expect Let s get a big picture of what we ll be learning today In this session, we will discuss 3 main toxins that physically impact our bodies negatively and keep us in sin. Together, we ll discover and learn more about detoxing our physical bodies and how God desires for us to honor our body as a temple for His Spirit! 26
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS At this time, please break into smaller groups of 2-4 for the discussion question section. Have a great discussion! 1.) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) According to this scripture, our bodies are to be respected as temples of God s Spirit. What does honoring your body as a temple of God s Spirit mean to you? Share with your group. (i.e. Maintaining sexual purity, taking care of my health, etc.) 2.) God desires for us to purify ourselves and work toward perfecting holiness out of reverence for Him. This can be a challenge as we live in a world where we are bombarded with temptation and worldly influences. The process of detoxification is generally unpleasant, but the end result is worthwhile! As we work toward this sense of purity, we must learn that there are three main toxins that impact our bodies and keep us in sin: addiction, debauchery, and sexual immorality. i. Addiction Most of us think that we are completely immune to addiction. However, the truth is that addiction is simply doing something you wish you wouldn t do, and all of us struggle with this at one point or another. ii. Debauchery Debauchery can be defined as extreme indulgence in sensuality. In other words, it means following your feelings. This can be extremely dangerous as your feelings will often lead you to making regretful decisions. iii. Sexual Immorality Sexual immorality is sinning against your body in any inappropriate sexual way. Do not let sin control the way you live;do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God s grace. (Romans 6:12-14) We all have something that can easily master us (i.e. food, drugs, alcohol, lust, internet, gambling, television, spending, hunting, sports, work, etc.) What is ONE thing that could potentially be mastering you? Share with your group. 27
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 3.) When we look to the Word of God, we can identify the necessary steps toward overcoming and conquering addiction, debauchery, and sexual immorality in our lives. Step #1: Get away from the sin! Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) To fight these harmful bodily toxins, we must first get away from them, even if that means a physical change in proximity! Step #2: Guard our mind! Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. (Romans 8:5) We must actively guard our minds, carefully considering everything we watch and think about! What ONE thing can you do to actively guard your mind and flee ungodly temptations? Share with your group. (i.e. Refrain from watching R rated films, find an accountability partner, memorize scripture, etc.) 4.) The last step toward conquering these harmful bodily toxins is that we must go all in with God. The closer we are to Christ the less we desire the things that this world offers. On the other hand, the further we drift from God the more we crave the things that this world offers us. Our level of vulnerability to sin serves as the perfect indicator of where we are in proximity to God. Daily disciplines such as reading our Bible and prayer are great and perfect ways to strengthen our relationship with God. How often do you read the Word of God? Do you notice a difference in your life during times when you re not constantly in His Word? Share with your group. 28
WHAT WILL YOU DO? If Satan can t make you bad, he ll make you busy - Adrian Rogers Unfortunately, one of the reasons that we become so filled with these harmful toxins is because many of us become to busy to deal with them. Too busy to read the Word of God means too busy to memorize scripture to combat sinful temptations. Too busy to pray means less time spent with God and more time drifting into the world. It's time to take the necessary steps toward conquering these harmful toxins. This week commit to at least 2 of the following things: Identify ONE thing in your daily routine you can sacrifice to spend more time strengthening your relationship with God. (i.e. 1 hour of Netflix, 1 hour of sleep, etc.) Complete the 4 devotionals entries for this week. Memorize the following scripture: CLOSE IN PRAYER Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Take a few minutes to close your time together with prayer and to pray for each other s prayer requests. Below is a sample prayer to read if you choose to. You can also choose to write down each other s prayer requests to remember throughout the week. Sample Prayer: God, thank You for everything that we learned in today s session. Father, forgive us for the times when we drift away from you and fall into worldly desires and temptations. Lord we know how important it is to honor our physical bodies as temples for Your Holy Spirit so we ask that You help us to get away from sin, guard our minds, and be all in with You! We love You and dedicate our lives to You. In Jesus name, Amen. Group Prayer Requests: Name Request 29
DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 1 S C R I P T U R E Read These Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. O B S E R V A T I O N A P P L I C A T I O N P R A Y E R DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 2 S C R I P T U R E Read These Scriptures: Romans 8:5: Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. O B S E R V A T I O N A P P L I C A T I O N P R A Y E R 30
DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 3 S C R I P T U R E Read These Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 4:4-5: Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God. O B S E R V A T I O N A P P L I C A T I O N P R A Y E R DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 4 S C R I P T U R E Read These Scriptures: Ephesians 5:18: Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. O B S E R V A T I O N A P P L I C A T I O N P R A Y E R 31